Optimization Principles and Algorithms

Optimization algorithms are critical tools for engineers, but difficult to use since none of them are universal in application. This introductery text builds up the knowledge set, from the basics, so that engineering students can understand the processes that govern optimization processes. Reinforcing theory with practice, the book includes discussions on how to match applications to appropiate methods and why certain approaches are not adapted to specific requirements. Following the success and adoption of the French version of this book with undergraduate and graduate students, the author has translated and substantially updated and reworked this new English edition. Featuring more worked problems and supported by a companion website, readers can learn the practical elements of building algorithms to solve real-life problems.

Michel Bierlaire is full professor in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and research affiliate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is the director of the Transport and Mobility laboratory and the Transportation Center at the EPFL. He holds a PhD in mathematical sciences from the University of Namur (Belgium). His main expertise is in the modeling, simulation, and optimization of complex systems, such as transportation systems. He is also significantly involved in practical applications of these methodologies. He has been teaching optimization at the undergraduate and the graduate level at EPFL since 1998.